Supplemental Brake... Necessity or Preference
We seem to have a good number of discussions on the issue of the need for supplemental brakes... Unfortunately many of the discussions are not very productive in terms of giving those who have an open...
Forum Discussion
lanerd wrote:
Is one inch "significant"? How about 1 foot? How about 10 feet?
Any measurement regardless of what it is...is very significant if it is sufficient enough to keep you from causing death, injury, or damage. If a supplemental braking system, even on a 45,000 lb coach or a 15,000 lb coach, keeps this from happening....then it is most definitely "significant".
I just don't understand why other don't get this.
Ron
It isn't that we don't get it. It's that you're oversimplifying it. Braking distance is the result of a combination of factors, two of which are speed and tow vehicle braking capacity, and you're completely ignoring that each RV pulling a toad is different and has a different braking capacity.
I can choose to purchase an RV that is older, has a lower-end chassis, an older brake design, etc... and for any number of reasons it would have less braking capacity. I can then hitch up my Jeep, add supplemental brakes, and by your definition it would be safe because I've gained those few inches or feet that might just avoid an accident.
Or I can purchase an RV with a better chassis, a newer brake design, etc... that can stop itself and the same toad faster without supplemental brakes than the first example with supplemental brakes. By choosing this second RV, although it may cost more, I can stop significantly shorter than the first example.
The second option without the supplemental brakes is the 'safer' rig because it can stop several feet shorter, regardless of the fact that it doesn't have supplemental brakes.
You're arguing that every rig should have supplemental brakes because that extra inch or 1 foot or 10 feet might make a difference in preventing an injury. But if one rig will stop shorter without supplemental brakes on the toad than another rig with supplemental brakes, then it's already stopping that extra inch or 1 foot or 10 feet shorter. At what point is it enough? Where do we draw the line? The answer is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, and there never will be.
Sure, you could argue that any rig with a toad can be improved by adding supplemental brakes. But I could also argue that any rig could be improved by upgrading to the latest, greatest braking system to improve stopping distance. Where does it end? How do you define what's enough?
